John Block Reports from Washington

John Block has dedicated his professional career to the fields of agriculture, food and health.

Frustrations

Oct 02, 2009

The Congress can’t seem to get anything done. Health care legislation has sparked a battle royal. I think we will probably get a bill, but we may not like it very much. It is going to be very expensive unless the Congress and President have the courage to just say – No. Don’t hold your breath.

Climate change or cap and trade legislation, however you want to call it, appears to be frozen in place. It passed the House and some Members there that voted for it wish they hadn’t. The President promoted the legislation at the meeting of world leaders last week. Do we really think China and India are going to put any kind of meaningful lid on green house gasses? Of course not. So if you end up with the United States trying to fix the world climate, you get nothing done. Even Al Gore’s experts acknowledge that the U.S. alone could only lower the temperature a fraction of one degree.

If the U.S. and perhaps Europe both bought into cap and trade, are we so naive to think other countries wouldn’t be quick to take advantage of us. Our companies would just move their factories to some country that is not squeezed by a carbon tax. In closing on this subject, I must say that I believe “global warming, man made climate change” is nonsense.

Back to the business of Congress – they don’t even have the appropriation bills passed for the different Departments. Of course, that’s nothing new.

President Obama spent all of last weekend on television pitching his policies. Now he’s going to fly to Denmark to promote Chicago for the 2016 Olympics. Maybe I’m missing something but it seems to me if you’re running a company, you need to run it. It is the same thing if you are running a country. Your cheerleading days are over. It’s time to go to work.

And finally – what’s with all of these “czars” – climate czar, energy czar, environmental czar, green czar. I’m sure Secretary Vilsack is happy that they don’t have an ag czar. How do you think the Obama Cabinet Members feel to see a czar standing between them and the President. And they thought they were working for the President.

So, now you have heard a few of my frustrations. They always say democracy is a messy business, like making sausage.

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Anonymous10/13/2009 07:25 AM

Dave is misinformed by the marxist theology.

Anonymous10/2/2009 06:08 AM

I like President Obama and voted for him, but, I think my frustrations are like alot of folks.The problem is the infighting between the parties. I don't really think most folks care who gets the credit as long as they (Repubs and Dems) DO SOMETHING. Medicare was hatched during the Johnson Administration and put into effect in 11 months. The US went from a peacetime economy in depression into the mightiest war machine in the history of the world in a couple of years. And this cooperation was a mix of the parties, not a single one. Now, we've been in Afganistan basically hunting one man for 8 years and yet don't have a structure to replace the ones he (bin Laden) knocked down, or his hide, either one. And that as well is not the fault of either party, it's the fault of both. When will these Senators and Congressmen ever figure out that the citizens we want them to work together ?? It's too bad we couldn't vote all those b-a-s-t-a-r-d-s out and start over with some average intelligent folks that will work together and send the lobbbyists home.

Ol James10/4/2009 10:53 AM

Politicians are like..well..armpits,(to keep it PG). After awhile they get stinky and need to be washed out. But like my great-grandpa said, "..why elect an honest man to such a corruptible position."
C&T is just another way for poly-tish-unz to take care of their buddies, among other things. RANT on Mr. John! It's time to quit poly-tik-in and get to work. I can't recall an instance where the cheerleader scored a point to win the game.